Preposition Worksheet20 Exam-Style Questions with Answers
Ten fill-in-the-blank, five error-correction, and five sentence-transformation questions — the three formats SSC, IBPS, and UPSC actually use to test prepositions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
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Cover the answer with your hand or a piece of paper, attempt the question on your own, then click to reveal the correct answer and explanation. Download the full worksheet as a PDF using the button below to practise offline or hand it to students.
Prof. Amirul Khan — amirulkhan.in
Preposition Worksheet — 20 Exam-Style Questions
✏️ Section A — Fill in the Blanks (10 Questions)
Write the single correct preposition (or pair) in each blank.
1. He is senior ___ his brother by three years.
Reveal Answer
Answer: to
Latin comparatives (senior, junior, superior, inferior, prior) always take 'to', never 'than'.
2. The property was divided ___ the two heirs equally.
Reveal Answer
Answer: between
Exactly two parties → 'between'. 'Among' would be used for three or more treated as a group.
3. ___ preparing for the written exam, she also practised interview questions.
Reveal Answer
Answer: Besides
'Besides' means 'in addition to'. 'Beside' (no 's') would mean physically next to — wrong here.
4. The meeting is scheduled ___ Monday ___ 10 a.m.
Reveal Answer
Answer: on ... at
Days of the week take 'on'; precise clock times take 'at'.
5. She has lived in Delhi ___ 2015.
Reveal Answer
Answer: since
'Since' is followed by a specific starting point in time. 'For' would be followed by a duration, e.g. 'for nine years'.
6. The child climbed ___ the wall to get a better view of the parade.
Reveal Answer
Answer: onto
A verb of motion (climbed) moving to a position on a surface needs the directional 'onto', not the static 'on'.
7. They swam ___ the river to reach the other bank.
Reveal Answer
Answer: across
'Across' describes movement over an open surface or area, from one side to the other.
8. ___ the new policy, all employees must complete the training.
Reveal Answer
Answer: According to
'According to' is a fixed compound preposition meaning 'as stated by'. Never 'according with'.
9. The report was submitted ___ behalf of the entire team.
Reveal Answer
Answer: on
The compound preposition is always 'on behalf of' — never 'in behalf of'.
10. There is no easy solution ___ this problem.
Reveal Answer
Answer: to
'Solution' takes 'to', not 'of' — one of the most common noun-preposition errors in competitive exams.
🔍 Section B — Error Correction (5 Questions)
Find the preposition error in each sentence and correct it.
11. “He is more superior than his rival in every department.”
Reveal Correction
more superior than
Corrected: “He is superior to his rival in every department.”
'Superior' is already a comparative (from Latin) — it needs neither 'more' before it nor 'than' after it. The correct form is simply 'superior to'.
12. “She apologised to me for being late and promised to comply to the new rules.”
Reveal Correction
comply to
Corrected: “She apologised to me for being late and promised to comply with the new rules.”
'Comply' is a fixed collocation that always takes 'with', never 'to'. Note 'apologise to' (a person) is correct as written.
13. “The committee members must abstain to vote until further notice.”
Reveal Correction
abstain to vote
Corrected: “The committee members must abstain from voting until further notice.”
'Abstain' always takes 'from', and the following verb must be a gerund: 'from voting', not 'to vote'. Two errors bundled into one phrase.
14. “I am looking forward to receive your feedback soon.”
Reveal Correction
looking forward to receive
Corrected: “I am looking forward to receiving your feedback soon.”
'To' in 'look forward to' is a preposition, not an infinitive marker — it must be followed by a gerund: 'to receiving', not 'to receive'.
15. “The number of applicants increased dramatically, creating a huge demand of skilled workers.”
Reveal Correction
demand of skilled workers
Corrected: “The number of applicants increased dramatically, creating a huge demand for skilled workers.”
'Demand' takes 'for', not 'of'. 'Of' is the most common wrong default guess for this entire family of noun-preposition pairs.
🔁 Section C — Sentence Transformation (5 Questions)
Follow the instruction to complete or rewrite each sentence.
Complete the sentence using the correct form of 'compare'.
16. The critic ___ the poet's early work ___ his mature poetry, listing every difference in style.
Reveal Answer
Answer: compared ... with
'Compare with' is used for a detailed examination of similarities and differences between two things of the same kind — exactly what 'listing every difference' describes. 'Compare to' would suggest a brief, metaphorical resemblance instead.
Combine the two sentences using a double preposition.
17. Ten students appeared for the interview. Five students were selected.
Reveal Answer
Answer: Out of ten students who appeared for the interview, five were selected.
'Out of' is the standard double preposition for expressing a proportion or selection from a total group.
Complete the sentence with the correct compound preposition.
18. The trains were cancelled ___ the sudden strike by the workers.
Reveal Answer
Answer: on account of
'On account of' means 'because of' and is a fixed, three-word compound preposition — it cannot be shortened or have 'the' inserted before 'account'.
Choose the correct preposition: with / at.
19. He was angry ___ his colleague for missing the deadline.
Reveal Answer
Answer: with
'Angry with' is used when the target of the anger is a person. 'Angry at' or 'angry about' would be used for a situation or thing, e.g. 'angry at the delay'.
Choose the correct preposition: from / than.
20. This year's results are quite different ___ last year's.
Reveal Answer
Answer: from
Competitive exams in India follow the formal rule that 'different' pairs with 'from', since you are separating one thing FROM another. 'Different than' is common in American speech but is marked wrong in Indian competitive exams.